CHAPTER THREE
Sabrina
“Can you tell me why I’m here?” I asked from a chair in the dean’s waiting room.
The dean’s secretary, typing at her computer, didn’t bother to look at me. “Dean Edwards will be with you shortly.”
I pulled in an aggravated breath. I’d finished class and was heading back to the dorm. I needed an afternoon power nap like no one’s business. But then her call came, requesting I stop in to speak with the dean as soon as I could. So, there I sat, wondering why the hell he wanted to see me.
The minutes crept by as I skimmed through the feed on my phone. As usual, lots was happening on campus. From sorority and fraternity fundraising events to fans in the football stadium, Alabama was a cool place to be. But I missed people like my best friend Trish back in my small Florida town. Thanks to social media I could catch up on what she’d been doing since we rarely had time to speak with our busy schedules. I skimmed through more pictures, memes, and ads. Naked pictures of an arrogant hockey player were no longer plastered in my newsfeed. Had the novelty worn off or had the people who’d posted them been ordered to take them down?
Dean Edwards’ door opened. He stood with a kind smile in his charcoal three-piece suit looking at me like he already knew me, though I’d never spoken to him before. “Miss Marshall?”
I snatched up my bag and wrapped the strap across me as I stood, following him into his office.
He gestured to one of two leather chairs facing his oversized mahogany desk. “Have a seat.” I did as he rounded his desk and sat across from me. “So, I’m sure you’re wondering why I asked you here.”
I nodded.
He leaned forward, folding his hands on the desk. “Well, as you know, we had quite the scene on campus this past weekend.”
I tilted my head, knowing the time and place to use my blonde hair to my advantage. “I’m sorry?”
“The young man and the tree.”
“Oh. Yeah. That was horrible.”
“Any idea who did it?” he asked offhandedly, as if asking how I liked my coffee.
Was I going to implicate the entire hockey team for Mr. Hockey? For all I knew, he’d done more than he said and deserved it. “Do you?” I asked.
He shook his head. “That’s why you’re here, Miss Marshall. You were an eyewitness.”
My stomach clenched, but I tried with everything I had to steel my features. “Said who?”
He swiveled the screen of his desktop monitor. A black and white surveillance video played. The view was a clear shot of the tree and a very naked Mr. Hockey. Oh, and me trying to untie him. Shit. “If you know I was there, why don’t you know who did it?”
He turned the screen away from me. “The assailants wore masks.”
“Well, if you don’t know, how would I? I wasn’t there when they tied him up. I just found him.”
“You tried to help the young man. Surely, he said something.”
I shook my head. “Did you ask him?”
“He’s not talking.”
My head snapped back. That didn’t sound like Mr. Hockey. “I’m surprised he doesn’t want whoever did it to be punished.”
“Me too. Which leads me to believe they were people he knew.” He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Everyone knows I take campus hazing very seriously, Miss Marshall. This university comes down hard on anyone found partaking in it. So, I’m not letting this go. The guilty parties need to be punished.”
I agreed completely. However, if Mr. Hockey didn’t tell him, it wasn’t my place to. He might’ve been an asshole, but for whatever reason, he didn’t want the dean to know. “I’m sorry I can’t help you, Dean Edwards.”
His eyes assessed mine for a long uncomfortable moment. Could he tell I was hiding something? Could he see Mr. Hockey told me who did it? Was he waiting me out? He blinked a few times before standing from his desk. “Well, thanks for stopping by.”
I jumped to my feet, elated to be dismissed.
“Please let me know if you remember anything. Even if you think it’s minor, it could help.”
I nodded as I turned to walk away.
“Oh, and Miss Marshall?”
I spun back around.
“Do you make a habit of leaving people tied to trees in the middle of the night?”
My body tensed. “Excuse me?”
“I just can’t figure why you didn’t call for help.”
What was he implying? Did he think I had something to do with it? Did he think I was a horrible person? Was I? “I’ll let you know if I remember anything.” I turned on shaky legs and made my way out of his office before he could say another word.
I stepped outside into the cool November day wondering if I’d done the right thing. Students rushed by me, hurrying to their next classes as the dean’s words rattled around in my head. I may not have been studying to be a brain surgeon, but I knew a threat when I heard one.
* * *
I walked up the sidewalk of a house on the outskirts of campus, cursing every slow step I took and wondering if I should turn back around.
“Hot damn,” a deep voice called from the open front door.
I stared into the eyes of Grady, hating that I’d been forced to be there. “Is anyone else home?” I purposely looked behind him, hoping someone would be around to protect me from the big oaf.
A smile slid across his face. “Nope. Just you and me, babe. I knew it was only a matter of time before you came begging me for it.”
My entire face scrunched in disgust. “Hell has definitely not frozen over yet.”
Grady’s footsteps resounded down the front steps until he stood towering in front of me. “Why you such a hater, girl?”
I stared up at him. He was a huge guy, but his face had slimmed down since last year. I hadn’t noticed at lunch when he was shoving Mr. Hockey’s naked body in my face. “I didn’t come here to be hit on.”
“Do you know how many girls would love to be on the receiving end of my attention?”
I pretended to think about it, using my fingertips as a calculator. “None?”
His head dropped back on a groan. “You’re impossible.”
“You’re single-minded.”
“Have you looked in a mirror? You’re gorgeous. You can’t blame a guy for trying.”
I cocked my head, staring at his pathetic attempt at a goatee. Could I ignore all his lame advances in order to get his help? Could I see the good in Grady that Caden tried to assure us lingered underneath the surface?
“Come on,” he backed down. “You must really need something if you came here to see me.”
“I do.”
He swept out his arm toward the two-story house behind him. “Lead the way. Just ignore the smell. I live with four other dudes. You know how it is.”
“Let’s sit on the steps. This won’t take long.”
“Said who?”
I brushed by him and headed toward the front steps. “You can’t help yourself, can you?”
“It’s a gift.”
I shook my head, stifling my unwarranted amusement as I sat down on the top step.
He sat down beside me, the side of his big body pressing against mine. “Now, what can I do for you?”
“I heard you’re studying pre-law.”
“I am. Are you into smart guys?”
“I’m into guys who can have an entire conversation without hitting on me.”
“I make no promises.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Okay, fine. Why do you wanna know what I’m studying? You having some legal troubles?”
I drew in a deep breath as I chose my words wisely. “The dean thinks I know something, and I think he just threatened me because of it.”
His head shot back. “That’s a pretty big accusation. Are you sure?”
I shook my head. “No. That’s why I’m here.”
“So, let me ask you something. Do you know what he thinks you know?”
I nodded. “But it didn’t come from a reliable source.”
“Then why not tell him that?”
“Because if I do, it could get quite a few people in trouble, and possibly expelled.”
He nodded his understanding.
“I need to know what my rights are.”
“Babe, I’m not even in law school yet. I only know pretty basic laws. But my uncle’s got a law firm in Montgomery. Would you mind if I checked with him?”
“No, that would be awesome.”
He pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it to me. “Let me get your number. I’ll call you tonight when I hear back from him. He’s in the courtroom all day.”
I leveled him with serious eyes as I took his phone. “If I start getting pictures of your package, I will come and kill you.”
He smirked. “Don’t be so sure. I’ve been told it’s one of Alabama’s most prized landmarks.”
“You’re sick, you know that, right?” I said, placing a quick call to my phone from his so he had my number.
“It’s another gift.”
This time I laughed. The guy wasn’t half bad, as long as he kept his mouth shut.